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Should you lock your Notion database? Learn how database permissions and locking affect recurring task templates—and the best safe workflow for your team.
Building VA-Friendly Permission Structures in Notion
"Every employee has anywhere from one to 5 VAs, and they wanted different permissions for the VAs." Here's how we solved this tricky balance at True Diagnostics without creating a permissions nightmare.
The Clever Workaround
Instead of fighting with Notion's basic permissions, we built a three-tier system:
- VAs can change status and add notes
- VAs can't create new tasks
- Managers control task creation and assignment
How We Built It
- Created a Notion form for task requests (prevents direct database access)
- Set up an approval workflow through managers
- Used department routing instead of direct VA assignments
- Built an employee database to manage VA relationships
The Political Win
We solved the "don't assign my VAs stuff" problem by routing tasks to departments rather than individuals. This kept managers happy and VAs productive.
Quick Tip: "Start with the most restrictive permissions and add access gradually. It's easier than trying to roll back permissions later."
Next Up: See how we handled Department-Based Task Routing with this permission structure
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